Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)
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| Male Small White - first this year |
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| Comma |
North shore
I went down on the rising tide this morning (Malcolm)
Pale-bellied Brent geese 10 (I saw 2, later David Kaye saw 8, not an overlap as this evening I saw both 2 and 8)
Eider 30
There were 2,000 Knot on the outer skear, they moved closer on to the mid skear when the tide moved them on. But before they were close enough to check for flags a Peregrine lifted everything and the Knot disappeared south. The Peregrine wasn't really bothered about hunting, it had probably already eaten. It was just cruising around and spooking the waders.
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| Peregrine Falcon and Oystercatcher |
Curlew 10
Grey Plover 1
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| Grey Plover, also along the waterline |
Turnstone 80
Redshank 70
I returned this evening as the skear was uncovering again.
Red-breasted Merganser 9 - there was some arguing and posing going on.
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| Great Crested Grebe in the pink light just before sunset |
Knot, there were about 250 resting on the Skear amongst the rocks. Another 1,000 arrived, but were very skittish, largely as the RNLI hovercraft was on manoeuvres. Unfortunately making a racket and spooking the Knot.
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| RNLI hovercraft |
Eventually, manoeuvres over, the Knot settled. A few flagged Knot were seen but the setting sun made for a very limited field of view.
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| Not much good for checking the birds, but really nice to see! |
It was nearly dark by the time I got back to my car on Rydal Rd. The street lights were already on. Distant honking alerted me to get my camera out again, just in time to see 34 Whooper Swans arrive from the SE and continue NW across the bay
